ABSTRACT
The religious literature of the Middle Ages varies in genre, approach, and purpose, ranging from spiritual autobiography to religious drama, mystical visions to devotional lyrics and sermons. One of the most interesting elements of medieval religious literature is its ability to give voice to those whose experiences are not part of the larger doctrinal or theological reach of religious institutions and theological exploration – mystics, saints, pilgrims, and even some heretics. As with the romance and epic, medieval religious genres often walked the border between the realist and the wildly imaginary; what might be said to differentiate the religious from the secular fantastic is its connection to the divine. The Lives of the Saints – first the early Christian martyrs, but increasingly monastic and historical saints as the Middle Ages went on – provided a popular source of literary entertainment and instruction.
